Gianfranco Zola has emerged as a serious contender to become Chelsea's next full-time boss - and help change the Stamford Bridge mood.

Although the Blues hierarchy already feared that Pep Guardiola was slipping from their grasp, Wednesday's confirmation that the Catalan has opted to join Bayern Munich was still a blow to Roman Abramovich.

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp, Michael Laudrup of Swansea and Diego Simeone, whose Atletico Madrid side humiliated the West Londoners in August's UEFA SuperCup, have all been linked with the post.

Frank Rijkaard is also available, after being sacked this week by Saudi Arabia.

But with Blues fans starting to vote with their feet and pockets as well as showing their displeasure at interim manager Rafa Benitez, Zola will be a live option to take over in the summer when the board sit down next month to start planning the club's future.

The Watford boss has never hidden the strength of his love for Chelsea, where an astonishing six-year spell as a player saw him voted as the club's all-time leading player by supporters.

"One of my dreams is a day when I can become the manager of Chelsea," Zola admitted earlier this season. "Chelsea is in my heart. I hope one day I will get the chance to be manager there."

The 46-year-old, who had previously conceded he would be "crazy to say no" if he was ever offered the Stamford Bridge job, added: "Let's put it this way, one day I would like to be good enough to manage Chelsea. It is in my heart.

"Mr Abramovich has been very good to me and asked me a couple of times to go back to Chelsea to work but what's the point of going there and not having anything to do for the club.

"The way I see it is that I want to go there when I know I can give something back to the club."

Frustrated fans again turned on late substitute Fernando Torres and the unwanted Benitez.

Zola's first managerial spell, at West Ham, saw him sacked after the Hammers only narrowly survived relegation from the Premier League in 2008-09.

But the Sardinian has demonstrated he has learned from his Upton Park experiences in his first season at Watford, steering the Vicarage Road club into a Championship play-off position.

The Chelsea hierarchy seem determined to stick with their plan to allow both Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season, despite the clear opposition of the supporters.

But the scale of the vitriol directed towards Benitez - and which is in danger of reaching as far up the ladder as Abramovich - has made the idea of a universally-popular appointment far more appealing.

Bringing in a fans' hero with the promise that he will be given time to stamp his mark on the club would also meet with approval.

And with there being no prospect of an olive-branch being offered to Roberto Di Matteo, sacked in November to make way for Benitez, Zola's stock is rising among Abramovich's advisors.

Benitez, meanwhile, has to lift the mood of the dressing room ahead of Arsenal's visit on Sunday, aware that a run of just two wins in seven home games since he took charge is becoming a crisis.

The Spaniard, though, is again set to omit skipper John Terry, even though both Benitez and the skipper want the centre-half on the field.

Watch it: Terry is set to be on the bench again this weekend (Image: Michael Regan)

Benitez explained: "I couldn't put him on against Southampton because he has no match fitness.

"He's not fit to play 90 minutes.

"We'll see how he trains, but it will be difficult for him to start against Arsenal. He needs games and minutes, but at the right time.

"To change a player with no match fitness, when you have to play high if you're chasing a game, would be a risk. I will try not to take a risk.